


Gravity

by ToxicTraitor



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 03:26:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13138095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicTraitor/pseuds/ToxicTraitor
Summary: Ema is assigned to spy on Aoi Zaizen to keep an eye on her for a week.  Through this, she learns that Aoi may or may not have a boyfriend while Ema herself ends up finding two tempting suitors of her own.





	Gravity

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Azure!
> 
> I'm your secret Santa and boy this is sure weird since you gave me a gift in the last exchange. I totally screamed when I found out you wrote that for me because I was already writing for you.
> 
> Anyway! I really hope you enjoy this! It was a lot of fun to write and I managed to include all three suggestions into one fic. Hehehe, probably because I ship all three too.
> 
> I hope you have happy holidays and that the new year will treat you well!

Ema lays on her soft, velvet sofa.  The whole thing had been deliciously expensive but after she had touched its plush cushions, she couldn't pass it up.  The money she had made doing Akira Zaizen’s dirty work was more than enough to pay for it along with the silky bedsheets she had been coveting.

 

She closes her eyes and sighs as she prepares to enter the world of VRAINS.  Akira had more dirty work for her to handle and their business meeting was tonight.  Part of her wonders how he'll pay her hefty fees after his demotion.  She wasn't cheap in the least bit and Akira’s wallet was already suffering.

 

When Ema opens her eyes again, she's inside of the VRAINS network.  Akira always chose the dullest of places to meet her.  He really didn't know how to make a lady like her swoon.

 

“Good evening, Ema.” He greets her.

 

“Akira.” She smiles. “What kind of work do you need me to do this time?  Are you still trying to hunt Playmaker down?”

 

“No, it isn't that.  I have more pressing matters at hand.” Akira mutters as if he is frustrated.

 

“Oh?”

 

“I know that this isn't your usual job, Ema.  However there is no one else I can trust to carry it out for me.” Akira explains.

 

Ema chuckles.  “You make this sound so personal.”

 

“It is personal.” Akira clears up. “Aoi… I want you to follow her for a week to see what she’s been up to.  I'm worried that she’s been getting into trouble.”

 

“She defeated the Hanoi member that was behind the Anothers victims.  I'm sure that she can handle herself.” Ema defends.  She didn't want to be involved in the siblings’ feud with each other, however she enjoyed the potential she saw in Blue Angel.  To try to control her seemed unfair and honestly just plain boring.

 

“Despite that, she is still a child and under my care.  I refuse to let her get hurt again.  I will pay you whatever amount you want to keep an eye on her for the whole of next week.  I'm sure you can manage that.”

 

“My fees haven't changed.  That will cost you a pretty 2.5 million Yen.”

 

“I don't have that much right now.” Akira says, shame filling his tone. “I can pay you 1.5 million today and the rest after the week is over.”

 

Ema has this kind of deal offered to her plenty of times.  She likes to be paid upfront so that no one could use her so easily.  She is always guaranteed to finish her job but her employer could always easily skip off.

 

“Oh?  Has the demotion cut into your wallet?”  Ema teases.

 

“Unfortunately.  I assure you that I will pay you as I always do, so you have no need to worry.” Akira assures.

 

“Well, alright.  For you, Akira, but only because you know how to treat a lady so well.”

 

Akira lifts his hand and presses the buttons of an invisible keyboard.  The only give away that it was there were the sounds of the beeps that each button made.  

 

“I’ve transferred the money into your account.” Akira says.

 

Ema’s duel disk bleeps before confirming that 1.5 million has been successfully added into her account.  Ema smiles, flipping her hair back as she steps forward to playfully tap Akira on the chest.

 

“I’ll contact you with my information after you’ve paid for the rest.” She says with a flirtatious wink before her avatar disappears in a dazzling dance of pixels.

 

Ema smirks to herself as she lays quietly in the dark, recalling her conversation with Akira.  She never thought of herself to fall for that type of man, one who was a family man with an honest job.  Well, as honest as it could be when you worked for a corporation like SOL Technologies.  Still, she couldn’t deny that she found him charming.

 

He did treat her like a lady, something she wasn’t used to.  Most of the men she worked for treated her with no respect.  She’s seen it all, men who lied to her to try to cheat her of her money, men who wanted to flirt with her and take her home, and the type of men that didn’t believe that a woman could be such a successful hacker.

 

She’s had her fair share of exes too.  A handful of men and women that things never worked out with.  She’s been cheated on, cheated with, used and heartbroken.  Maybe it is the fact that she only fell for the type of person that is too high maintenance or the type that is too needy.  Akira was at that perfect in between, a man that could look after himself but still needed her.

 

Of course, Ema knows that it won’t work out, so she won’t hope.  She much rather enjoy some light teasing and flirtatious glances over the heartbreak that all her relationships lead to.  She knew how to play her cards right and she wouldn’t reveal her hand to anyone.

 

***

 

Spying on Aoi isn’t a difficult task, it’s just a boring one.  Ema hacks herself into the security cameras that follow her on her way to school, the ones that line nearly every inch of the school, even the ones on the street lamps outside the school.

 

Ema sighs as she leans back in her chair, sipping at a glass of cool water.  The classes that Aoi takes are all boring.  Ema can’t find anything in her classes’ material that would even matter in the real world.  Mathematics, Chemistry, History…  Subjects that didn’t matter in the real world.  In the real world, you needed to be street smart, knowing how to calculate the trajectory of a football across a field wouldn’t keep you fed and warm.

 

The day only gets interesting when the teacher starts to pair everyone into groups of two.

 

“Miss Zaizen.” The teachers calls.  “There is an odd number of students in this class so I will have to assign you with another student from the neighboring class, Mr. Yusaku Fujiki.”

 

Aoi nods and listens as the teacher explains their assignment.  Something related to physics, requiring the students to do more calculations and to design a computer program to apply those physics to Duel Monsters in order to make the Duel Monsters behave more realistically and life-like.

 

Not too boring, after all.

 

After the class brings the school day to an end, Aoi walks out of the classroom into the hallway where her new partner stood waiting.  

 

“Fujiki.” Aoi greets formally.

 

“Zaizen.” Yusaku returns.

 

“Where do you want to work on the assignment?” Aoi asks.  “My brother won’t let me bring boys home, so don’t hope for a trip to my home.”

 

Yusaku stands quietly, almost robotic in all of his awkwardness. “My friend owns a cafe we can work at.  My computer setup is all there.”

 

“Lead the way.”

 

Ema almost laughs at how awkward their exchange is.  Aoi was such a pretty girl, she must make that Yusaku kid so nervous.  At least with those two together, the week would be interesting.  Maybe if Ema was lucky, she’d get to spend more time in a cafe with delicious coffee rather than alone in her apartment.

 

***

 

Spending time with Aoi meant three things to Yusaku.  One, being that he cannot reveal that he knew that she is Blue Angel.  Two, he cannot let her find out that he is Playmaker.  Finally, three, he has to keep Ai quiet or else he would ruin both the first and second concerns.

 

They don’t speak much as they walk to Cafe Nagi from their school.  Yusaku occasionally points out the direction so that Aoi won’t lose her way.  Aside from that, they barely speak.

 

“Yusaku!” Shoichi greets as Yusaku comes into view.  “Did you bring a friend?”

 

“This is Zaizen Aoi.”  Yusaku shoots him a pointed look, so that he will understand the situation.  “My schoolmate.  We’re working on an assignment together.”

 

“Oh?” Shoichi can’t help but tease.  “Be careful, Aoi.  This kid will do all the work if you let him.”

 

“I can carry my share of the workload.” Aoi assures.

 

Shoichi chuckles. “Just between you and me, Miss Zaizen, Yusaku here is really awkward around cute girls.  Just make sure you go easy on him or else you’ll fry the circuit boards in his head.”

 

Aoi blinks, unfazed by Shoichi’s attempts to try to tease both her and Yusaku. “I’m sure he can keep up.”

 

Shoichi’s smile falls a little before he regains it.  “You two go on and start.  I’ll bring you both some lunch later.  It’s on the house.”

 

Aoi nods while Yusaku finds them both a shady table to sit at.  This was one of the few days that Shoichi took the time to set up some tables and chairs.  Yusaku knows that he must have done this just for Aoi’s sake, so that they could work on their assignment easily.

 

They don’t talk much as they work.  It’s not as awkward as their silences could be.  As they get into the swing of things, the silence becomes more comfortable.  Eventually, it even feels peaceful.  They work quietly but quickly.  Before they know it, half of their program has been written and the sun is starting to set.

 

“I should head home.” Aoi says as she gathers her books.  “It’s getting dark.”

 

“Do you need someone to walk you home?” Yusaku asks.  He knows that it’s expected of him to at least offer help but he figures that she’ll refuse him.

 

“My brother won’t be happy if he knows that a boy walked me home.” Aoi murmurs.

 

“It will be dark soon.” Yusaku reminds.  “Are you sure you don’t want any company?”

 

Aoi thinks quietly for a moment, weighing the options.  On one hand, she didn’t want to walk back on her own in the dark, she didn’t even know the way home from here without fumbling with the map on her phone.  On the other, she didn’t want her brother to be upset with her especially after he was just starting to trust her.

 

“If you give me about ten minutes, I can give you a ride home in the van.” Shoichi calls, after overhearing their conversation.  

 

“Well... Alright.” Aoi finally agrees.  A ride home would be much better than walking home.

 

Shoichi takes a few minutes to collect the few tables and chairs he had set out.  Once they’re packed back into the van, he leads Aoi to the passenger seat so that she can hop in.  He gives Yusaku a quick wink as Yusaku climbs into the back of the van to take his seat.

 

“What do you think of working with Yusaku?” Shoichi asks Aoi as he starts the drive to her home.

 

“We got a lot done today.” Aoi answers.

 

“That kid is a hard worker.” Shoichi chuckles.  “I’m glad to see him hanging out with a friend.  He really needs more of those, that kid.  He’s got a lot of problems.”

 

“What kind of problems?” Aoi wonders.

 

“Trust issues, mostly.  He’s a real loner.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“He’s a good kid, don’t get me wrong.  He just needs to come out of his shell.” Shoichi sighs as he makes a turn.  “I worry about him, you know?  I guess you can understand.  Your brother must worry about you too.  Yusaku and I are like a makeshift family,  I guess.  He’s like a brother to me.”

 

“Turn here.” Aoi instructs, trying to change the conversation.

 

“Is this your place?”  Shoichi asks as he turns in front of a high end apartment complex.  He gives a low whistle as he stares at the building.  “Do you know how many hotdogs I’d have to sell to afford a place like this?” 

 

Aoi stares at him, not answering.

 

“At least three.”  Shoichi jokes.

 

Aoi doesn’t laugh, all she does is clutch her bag closer to her as she unfastens the seat belt.  “Thanks for the ride.”

 

“Sure thing, Miss Zaizen.  Don’t be a stranger.  Swing by anytime you want.”

 

Aoi hops out of the van and gives a small but appreciative wave goodbye as Shoichi drives off.

 

“You worry about me?” Yusaku asks after a moment of silence.

 

“You were so quiet, I thought you fell asleep back there.” Shoichi chuckles.

 

“Yusaku has a girlfriend.” Ai chips in.

 

“Shut up.” Yusaku orders.

 

Ai comes as close the sticking his tongue out as he can before he turns away to pout and grumble to himself.

 

“Of course I worry about you, Yusaku.”  Shoichi admits.  “Maybe she’ll be good for you.”

 

Yusaku doesn’t answer for a moment, deciding to keep his mouth shut rather than argue.  After a long moment he speaks again.  “There’s more Hanoi trouble tonight.”

 

“Why don’t you get on it.  I’ll pull over and keep an eye out for you.”   
  


***   
  


Ema yawns to herself as she finally turns off her computer for the night.  She had watched Aoi from nearby street cameras as she and her schoolmate worked on their boring assignment together.  After she had gone back home to where Akira had been waiting, Ema decided her job was done for the night.

 

She crawls into bed after slipping out of her clothes and into something much softer and silkier.  She lays down to sleep but she ends up laying awake for an hour.  She can’t help but think of Akira again.  

 

He was a handsome man.  Tall and elegant.  His hands look delicate but strong enough to hold her tight.  Her bed felt so empty.  Even if she refused to show it, she was lonely.  Laying in bed at night was when she felt like she was at her lowest.  She can’t help but hold herself and think of Akira holding her close.

 

Sometime during the night, she falls asleep.  When she wakes the next morning with the sunlight on her face, she stretches and pulls herself out of bed.  She didn’t want to stay in today, she wanted to go out into the world and to be surrounded by people.

 

She ends up at Cafe Nagi.  She knows that Aoi will swing by again with that boy to do more work.  She could watch them in person while she enjoyed a hot coffee.

 

“One coffee, please.” She orders with a flip of her long hair.  “With extra cream.”

 

The man at the counter smiles at her.  His smile is so genuine that Ema can’t help but giggle.  “Would you like some extra sugar too?”

 

“That depends.” Ema teases.  “Are you the sugar?”

 

The man bursts out in laughter.  “That’s a good one.” He compliments.  “My name is Shoichi.”

 

“Mine is Ema.”  Ema smiles.  “Are you going to write my name on the cup?  I can spell it for you if you want to make sure you get it wrong.”

 

“Is it one ‘M’ or two?”

 

“Just one.”

 

Shoichi takes out a marker and starts to write on her cup.  After he makes her coffee, he hands her the cup as she hands him her money.

 

“Ohh.” Ema smiles.  “You drew a heart on it.  Do you treat all your customers this way?”

 

“Only the pretty ones.”

 

Ema laughs.  “Sounds like the coffee isn’t the only hot thing around here.”

 

“I’ve got burns on my arms to prove that my deep fryer is pretty hot too.”

 

Ema shakes her head as she laughs again.  She’s still laughing as she takes her coffee to an empty table.  She hasn’t laughed this much ever in her life.  

 

She sets up her laptop so she can do some work while Aoi finishes her lessons at school.  By the time Aoi and her little friend Yusaku have arrived, Ema has finished her coffee.

 

“Here.” Shoichi smiles down at her as he hands her another cup. “This one is on the house.”

 

“Oh?” Ema smiles as she gladly takes the drink.

 

“That’s a really nice set up you have there.  Are you into computers?”  Shoichi asks as he gestures to Ema’s laptop.

 

“I built her myself.” Ema beams proudly.  “She’s got all the best hardware.”

 

“I have a pretty sweet computer installed in my truck.  Maybe one day I can show you.”

 

“Like a date?”  Ema teases.

 

Shoichi’s cheeks turn pink.  “Well, if you want it to be one.”

 

“I’m free tonight.” Ema suggests.

 

“Perfect.”

 

***

 

When the day ends, Aoi collects her books again and prepares to leave.

 

“Yusaku.” Shoichi calls.  “Why don’t you walk Aoi home.  I’m busy tonight.”

 

Yusaku nods quietly.  He doesn’t say much to Aoi.  He just waits for her to lead the way.  They walk quietly through the streets, letting the chatter of the crowds around them fill the silence.

 

“Fujiki.”  Aoi starts.  “My brother told me that you were the one that found me when I fell sick at school.”

 

“I did.” Yusaku confirms.  He doesn’t know where she’s heading with this, but he couldn’t lie to her now.  

 

“How did you know that I would be on the roof?”

 

“I…”  Yusaku flounders.  “I go up there for a better signal.”

 

“Oh.” Aoi mumbles.  She stays quiet for another moment before she speaks again.  “Thank you for that.”

 

“It’s no problem.” Yusaku replies.

 

Aoi looks away abruptly.  In the blue tinted lighting of the multiple advertisements screens, it’s hard to tell for sure, but Yusaku thinks that her cheeks turn a little pink.

 

This is the moment that Yusaku’s footsteps start to stumble.  Is she blushing?  Yusaku can’t tell but the thought of it is so distracting that he starts to trip on his own feet.  If she isn’t blushing, he sure is the one to blush now.

 

“Here we are.” Aoi says quietly, her face still turned away.  “I guess this is goodnight, then.”

 

“Goodnight, Zaizen.” Yusaku has to concentrate to stop from stuttering. 

 

“Aoi.” She says her name.  “You can call me Aoi, now.”

 

“Aoi.” Yusaku repeats.  “Um, you can call me Yusaku now too.”

 

Aoi shoots him a small smile.  “Goodnight, Yusaku.”

 

Yusaku stands alone on the sidewalk as Aoi disappears from his view.  He wasn’t sure what was happening.  Was she really blushing or was it just the bad lighting?  Was it his imagination?  Maybe staring at the computer screen for hours today had ruined his vision.

 

“Hey Yusaku.” Ai sings in his best how-to-annoy-Yusaku voice that he had.  “You’re blushing.  Do you have a crush on her?”

 

“Shut up.”

 

***

 

Shoichi’s idea of a “date” involves him showing Ema his computer setup.  He shows her all the components from the state of the art graphics card to the brand of adhesive he uses.  Ema sits and listens to every detail, asking the random question here or there.  By the time Shoichi is done, an hour has already passed.

 

“You must really love her.” Ema says as she runs her hand along the length of a monitor.  

 

“She’s my pride and joy.” Shoichi laughs, leaning back in his chair.  “It’s nice to be able to share her with people.  My kid, Yusaku, helped me build it but other than him, no one really gets it the way I do.”

 

“Oh?” Ema sighs.  “What is Yusaku like?  Is he the kid hanging out with that Zaizen girl?”

 

“Oh yeah, that’s him.  He’s a nice kid, on the quiet side of things but great company.”

 

“Are they a couple?” Ema asks, trying to get more information for Akira.

 

“They’re just schoolmates.  They aren’t even friends, not really.”

 

Ema laughs lightly.  “What a shame.  Being young and in love is such a treat.”

 

“Being old and in love can be too.”  Shoichi winks.  His eyes sparkle in the low light from the computer screens.

 

“Speak for yourself.  I’m still young.”  Ema teases back.

 

Shoichi laughs.  “That makes one of us, at least.”

 

The night ends after they discuss the latest flops on the market.  Mostly they just call out “Doors” operating systems for their awful upgrades that they try to force their consumers to purchase at ridiculous prices.  Other than that, they complain about headphones that refuse to last more than four months, because honestly, they could produce the VRAINS network but they couldn’t design a long-lasting pair of headphones?  What gives?

 

By the time that they say goodbye, Ema feels a lot lighter than she has felt in ages.  She laughed so much tonight with this strange man that sold hot dogs and mediocre coffee.  He wasn’t bad looking, although a little scruffier than someone like Akira, Ema found herself liking his features.  He had dark eyes and lips that looked so soft and kissable, a kind face with kinder eyes.

 

Ema almost hopes for a kiss when she leaves but Shoichi makes no move to.  She doesn’t ask or hint for one.  If he wanted to kiss her, he would have made it obvious.  Maybe it was too early for a kiss or anything more than the conversation that had tonight.  Maybe taking it slow was for the best.

 

Ema can’t be sure what the future holds at this point.  All she knows is that she’ll be back the next day for more coffee and hopefully, more compliments from the chef.

 

***

 

The next day involves more work for Yusaku and Aoi.  They’re in their final stages of finishing their assignment but Yusaku is all thumbs for the day.  He can’t seem to do anything right.  He’s stuttering and nervous.  He presses the wrong button and nearly deletes their work twice and actually deletes their work once.  Luckily he was able to retrieve it easily. 

 

His mind just keeps going back to thoughts of Aoi’s face last night.  He swears that she blushed.  He swears it now that he thought it over.  Her cheeks were the pinkest pink that he’s ever seen.  Oh wow, she sure did look really cute when she blushed too.

 

But no, that is stupid of him to think about.  He has other things to focus on.  Aoi is Blue Angel, not his enemy but not his friend.  She was his rival. 

 

His focus goes out the window when Aoi leans over to point out a mistake in their work.  She leans in so close that Yusaku can feel the heat from her arm as she points to the screen.  Now he can feel his own face heat up.  He wishes he could run away but he’s stuck here.  All he can do is grip onto his pant legs and hope that she won’t notice anything.

 

When he walks her home later that evening, he feels so out of place.  She stands so close to him that it would be too easy to touch her hand.  Even with so much weighing him down, Yusaku couldn’t help the fact that he was like anyone else.  He wants some company, a bond of some kind with someone.  

 

Maybe he has to save the world, or at least his version of it.  He needs his own justice.  He needs justice for those that suffered with him.  He needs to meet the one that gave him so much hope to push forward when back then all he hoped for was death.

 

Even so, Yusaku cannot help but be at least a little infatuated with this girl.  She is really great company.  Although they didn’t speak too much, she made the quiet a little less lonely just by being there.  

 

“Are you feeling okay?” Aoi asks.  “You’ve been acting a little off today.”

 

“I’m fine.”  Yusaku shrugs.  “My eyes are just strained.”

 

Aoi squints, stepping up on her toes to peer at Yusaku’s eyes.  “They do look a little bloodshot.  You should get some rest.”

 

“I will.”

 

Aoi turns away again, her cheeks turning that same shade of pink.

 

“A-Aoi.”  Yusaku stammers.  “Um…”

 

“We’re almost home.”  Aoi interrupts.  “I can take it alone from here.  Thanks for walking me home.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

Yusaku doesn’t have a chance to say anything before she runs away.  He stands there, dumbfounded and confused for a moment before Ai decides to tease him again.

 

“Yusaku and Aoi sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i--”

 

Before Ai can even finish spelling out the word, Yusaku has muted his speakers.  That would keep him quiet for the walk home.

 

***

 

Yusaku’s usual morning habits consist of him dropping in to visit Shoichi on his way to school.  Shoichi would give him the rundown of all the latest developments of what is happening in VRAINS.

 

“Hey, Yusaku.”  Shoichi greets as Yusaku walks through the door.  The older man is busy cutting up onions and peppers to use during business hours.

 

“Any news?” Yusaku asks as he pours himself a cup of coffee.

 

“It’s been a quiet week.” Shoichi answers, giving Yusaku a warm smile.  “It’s a nice break.”

 

“A break?  I doubt the Hanoi are taking a break.  They must be planning something.”

 

“They must be, but it’s nice to enjoy the quiet while it lasts.”

 

“Why aren’t you worried?” Yusaku asks, getting frustrated. 

 

“I am.” Shoichi shrugs.  “That doesn’t mean that life stops.  Even with the Hanoi hanging over our heads, that doesn’t mean that life is over already.”

 

“You’re getting distracted.  Just because you think that you have a date with Ghost Girl once that it changes everything?”

 

“It doesn’t change anything--”

 

“It does!”

 

“Yusaku.  You’re still a child.  You should be enjoying your life.  You should be out there making friends and having fun.  I know that you never asked for any of this and that what happened to you wasn’t fair.”  Shoichi shakes his head, setting down the knife in his hand.  His hand is shaking as he pulls it away from the cutting board.  “Life hasn’t ended for you.  Life hasn’t ended for me or for Jin.”

 

“My life is over.  They took that from me ten years ago.”

 

“Is that what you truly believe?”

 

Yusaku is quiet for a moment, hanging his head to hide his eyes from Shoichi.  “I don’t want it to be true.”

 

“Then go make some friends.  Go be happy.  Go ask that Aoi girl out or spend time with Naoki.  I see the way you’ve been acting around Aoi.  You like her, I can see that.  You act like any other flustered kid around their crush.”

 

“But she’s Blue Angel.  I can’t do that.”

 

“Who cares if she is Blue Angel?  She’s Aoi first, then Blue Angel.”

 

“What if she finds out that I’m Playmaker?”  Yusaku worries.

 

“Don’t worry about it so much.  Just go for it.” Shoichi encourages.  “Now go on to school or you’ll be late.”

 

***

 

Yusaku doesn’t plan on following Shoichi’s advice.  He feels worn from the conversation.  He can’t allow himself to be distracted.  He needs to stay focused.  He needs to… 

 

Aoi walks past him, giving him a small wave.  Seeing her stops Yusaku’s train of thought.  

 

“Did Zaizen just wave at you?”  Naoki asks, flabbergasted.  His jaw has dropped open as he stares at Aoi.

 

Yusaku shrugs, too flustered to speak.  His stomach feels like it’s full of butterflies.  This wasn’t a part of his plans.  Why was this happening to him?

 

He spends the rest of the day in a daze, drifting in and out of focus on the subjects being taught in class.  At the end of all of them, he meets Aoi outside his classroom where she stands waiting for him.

 

“I submitted our assignment.” Aoi says.  “I thought that you would want to know that.”

 

“Thanks for telling me.”  Yusaku mumbles awkwardly.  He scratches the back of his head, fighting himself internally over what to say to her next.  “Aoi…  Do you want to walk home together?”

 

Aoi gives him a small smile.  “Sure.”  She breathes.

 

So maybe he wouldn’t ask her out on a date, not yet.  He had the guts to face the Hanoi but not a cute teenage girl.  Maybe, if anything, they could be friends for now.  Yusaku lies to himself, trying to believe that he’s doing this to be closer to Blue Angel but he isn’t.  He just wants to be closer to Aoi.

 

***

 

Akira waits in their usual meeting spot to meet Ema.  She’s never late but never early.  She always appeared right on time.  When she arrives, she flashes him a bright smile and a quick wink.

 

“Akira.”  She greets cheerfully.

 

“Good evening, Ema.  How are you?”  Akira asks.

 

“I feel so much better now that I’m with you.”  She teases.

 

“Do you have the information on Aoi?”  Akira gets down to business.

 

“Do you have the rest of my fees?”

 

Akira hangs his head.  “Unfortunately, I do not.  I’ll need another week to pay you in full.”

 

“What a shame.”  Ema sighs, sadly.  “I guess I can’t tell you what happened.  This week was so interesting too.”

 

“Please, Ema.  You know that I’ll pay you if you give me another week.”

 

“Save it.”  Ema holds her hand up to stop Akira from continuing to beg.  It wasn’t becoming of a man with so much dignity like him.

 

“Ema…”

 

“I can make an exception for you, Akira.”  Ema promises.  “If, and only if, you take me out for dinner.”

 

“Dinner?”  Akira repeats.

 

“Yes, a nice place.  Preferably some place that serves hot tea.”

 

“I can do that for you.”  Akira promises.

 

The place that Akira takes Ema to is just the kind of place that Ema would expect from a man like him.  A nice restaurant with a nice atmosphere.  It wasn’t a very fancy place.  The people around them were mostly business men eating together after work.  Probably bachelors without a family to share a meal with back home.

 

“Aoi has a boyfriend?”  Akira asks, stunned when Ema tells him about Aoi’s week.

 

“It seems headed that way.”  

 

“Do you know who the boy is?”

 

“Yusaku Fujiki.”

 

“I know that name…  I’ve met that kid before but he said that they weren’t dating.”  Akira puts his head in his hands.  “I don’t know what to do.”

 

“If she wants to date him, then let her.  She’s a big girl, let her enjoy herself.”  Ema advices.  “She’ll be grateful if you back off.”

 

“I don’t want to see her get hurt.”

 

“You can’t protect her from everything, but you can be there for her when she does get hurt.”

 

Akira is silent for a moment.  “You’re right, Ema.  Thank you.”

 

Ema laughs again.  “Oh, Akira.  For such a smart man, you have too much to learn.”

 

“Maybe you can help me with that.”  Akira suggests, his eyes twinkling.

 

When they leave the restaurant, they both pause out on the sidewalk to say goodnight.  Akira stands awkwardly, debating whether or not he should make some kind of move.  This, despite neither of them admitting it, was definitely some kind of date.

 

“Well, I’ll be off.”  Ema sighs, flipping her hair back.  “I’ll see you around.”

 

“I’ll pay you next week.”  Akira reminds.

 

“Don’t worry about it.”  Ema waves off.  “This covers it.”

 

“T-thank you, Ema.  That’s so kind of you.”

 

“Don’t thank me.”  Ema argues.  “Next time you take me out, just be sure to kiss me goodbye like a gentleman.”


End file.
